Medical Applications of Nanotechnology

Gholamreza Pourmand, M.D.

What is nano?

Power Prefix Origins

1012 tera teras: monster

109 giga gigas: giant

106 mega megas: large

103 kilo chilioi: thousand10-3 milli milli: thousand

10-6 micro mikros: small

10-9 nano nanos: dwarf

What is nanotechnology

• Creation of functional materials, devices, and systems.

• Control of matter on the nanometer (1-100 nm) length scale.

• Exploitation of novel properties and phenomena developed at that scale.

Nanotechnology Growth

S. Milunovich, J. Roy. United States Technology Strategy. Merrill Lynch. 4 Sept. 2001

How small is nano?

Scale:Nanoscale

$151,700: 1/100th centAcre: 1/100th square inchDecade: 1/3rd second

E. Corcoran. The Next Small Thing.Forbes Magazine, 07/23/01

Why is the nanometer scale different?

1. The wavelike properties of electrons inside matter are influenced by variations on the nanometer scale.

2. The systematic organization of matter on the nanometer length scale is a key feature of biological systems.

3. Nanoscale components have very high surface areas.4. The finite size of material entities, determine an increase of the

relative importance of surface tension and local electromagnetic effects.

5. The interaction wavelength scales of various external wave phenomena become comparable to the material entity size.

Many Different Length Scales

10cm

1cm

100m

1m

Relative Size of Nanoparticles

Nanoparticle with a 2 nm core and an octanethiol functionalized monolayer

Smart Nanostructures for Selective Drug Delivery

Scale: 1/40th of red blood cell

Nanotube

Nanocap

Drug Delivery for:

#1 - Cardiovascular disease#2 – Cancer

#3 - Infectious diseases

Toxin Removal for:Adverse drug reactions >106,000 deaths/yr

Pesticide Poisonings >220,000 deaths/yr

Targeted Delivery to Tumors

NanoMedical Diagnostics

Targets: - drug overdose - brain trauma - disease markers

Where: - hospital - law enforcement - homeland security